 OUR
UNITED AIRLINES FIRST CLASS INFLIGHT TEST CHICAGO-HONG KONG:
 Our first experience
with United Airlines on the route Chicago – Hong Kong, in January 2006,
was quite satisfying. We already experienced the First Class from Europe
to Far East with some legendary SE Asian airlines, and were expecting much
lower service and comfort from a North American airline. Which was not
the case. Compared with Thai Airways, from instance, we found the standards
higher with United Airlines: much more comfortable cabin, with high tech
everywhere and supreme seating. More generous food also. Only Singapore
and Malaysian Airlines produced us a better impression.
The lounge always gives
a real impression of what will follow up once in the sky. Our First Class
ticket allowed us immediate admission in the Chicago “United Red Carpet
Club”. These renowned lounges await the traveller in over 40 locations
worldwide. Tailored made to relax and escape the hustle of the busy international
airports, these First Class lounges display their supreme comfort at Chicago
O'Hare, indeed, which is the main hub for United Airlines. Centrally located
in terminal 1 (concourse C, near gate C18), open 5:00am - 10:00pm, it offers
plenty of amenities. We arrived quite in advanced, and could relax a couple
of hours in a smooth, sophisticated environment. Like everywhere, snacks,
hors d’oeuvres, soft drinks and tea/coffee facilities are parts of the
basics. As soon as installed, we were politely greeted by a lovely waitress,
who brought us with a minute the complimentary cocktails we ordered her.
She offered us to call any local number free of charge, or to use the business
center data ports or T-Mobile Hot-Spot WiFi for Internet access. Then she
proposed to bring us our favourite daily newspapers and magazines, from
quite a large selection unfortunately featuring mostly US (and Japanese!)
titles. We were asked if any special requirement, which could make our
trip more comfortable. Our limousine and hotels were booked in advance,
so we just could say no. 30 minutes before boarding, we were invited to
finish our glass of Cointreau and join the departure gate.
We boarded the UA
895 flight in priority. The First Class cabin of the Boeing 747-400 was
spotless, cozy like a private club. Of course, we cannot compare it with
the Singapore Airlines  The catering was
more than acceptable. Food is served on immaculate linen napkin, along
with lovely shaped We woke up the next day, refreshed, and received a solid American –again!- breakfast. We had cereals with milk and banana, Yoplait fruit yoghurt and vanilla flavoured granola, and a refreshing fruit salad. Fried, scrambled or boiled eggs can be ordered according to your preference. Good choice of hot fresh bread (croissant, bagel, muffin). As smooth as silk landing in Hong Kong at 6:05 pm. Our conclusion is that we will definitely fly again with UA. We felt safe and pampered during the all trip, and would give a 3-4 out of 5 to their First Class. UNITED AIRLINES OFFICIAL HOMEPAGE MORE ABOUT UNITED AIRLINES FIRST CLASS AIRSAFE.COM SECURITY RECORDS FOR UNITED AIRLINES
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cabin,
with its Connolly leather seats and uniformed hostesses. The touch is more
American: standard –but very high standard- comfort, with a priority given
to high technology. We asked for a glass of Laurent Perrier, and were served
a Dom Perignon; which was, why not, quite a good option. We took
off right on time, at 12:17 pm. We
heard some positive comments about the First Class Suite: one of the most
comfortable seats available in the air, now used by United Airlines on
most (if not all?) of its intercontinental routes. Once converted in a
bed, the seat came perfectly flat; while the cubicle around the top and
the feet made us feel pleasantly isolated. If you are tall (or fat), you
might find it somewhat narrow; but European and Asian alike would never
claim on this matter. Only one remark: the Suites are now long in the tooth,
and should be re-upholstered, or replaced. In comparison to some of the
newer model first and business class seats on other airlines, UA has a
way to go to. They seem not as fresh. We were actually expecting brand
new, spotless seats in this category. Our neighbour, a businessman from
Michigan, told us that United Airlines First Class was not convenient for
relaxing and working, due to the regular invasion of some UA staff on a
vacation using the front cabin like their own private club (if not night-club).
Frankly speaking, we had different impression; it was 80% empty, and we
received the permanent flying crew’s attention. Some readers recently repeated
such a claim, so we shall try to check whether or not UA tends to upgrade
the vacation staff of the F class (any remark on the matter, please 
metal
silverware and smart porcelain dishes. Our menu featured quite a decent
selection of mouth-watering specialities from UA Executive Chef Gerry Gulli.
As an appetizer, we selected the Crab cakes with oven-roasted tomatoes.
Surprisingly, it came with a not so appropriate red wine sauce. We also
tried the Parmesan and herb crusted chicken breast with aioli (you can
order two entries if you like), which was excellent: the flesh was moist,
ideally cooked, with a tasty crust. Our main course was a Filet Mignon,
roasted with garlic and parsley potatoes. We had it all with a glass of
quite an ordinary Kangarilla Road Mc Laren Shiraz 2004, then with a well
chilled glass of Dom Perignon which was much more appropriate in First
Class. The selection of cheese was quite common (Dutch and US cheese…),
and our dessert -Ice cream with sundae toppings- very American. Let’s say
that a European touch is missing somehow, and that –like other First Class
travellers- we were expecting something like lobster or small portion of
Caviar. The flight attendants did a nice job of keeping our wine glass
re-filled and being anticipating our needs. We wiped our Cognac, which
helped us sleep like a log.
